Kent State swept up by Bobcats' brooms
By William Strome, Staff Writer
February 12, 2008 | 12:30 p.m.
Not only did the Ohio hockey team pick up their sixth shutout of the season on Friday night with a 5-0 victory, they finished the weekend off with their second consecutive sweep and sixth of the year.
Following Friday night’s shut-out, the Bobcats prevailed 6-2 over conference rival No. 11 Kent State inside Bird Arena. The last time Ohio (22-13, 12-8 CSCHL) swept back-to-back teams in a season was last year when the ‘Cats hosted Mercyhurst on Jan. 26 and 27 and Illinois the following weekend on Feb. 2 and 3.
“This year is different," forward Jim Fuhs said. "In years past we’ve been hot at mid-season then tail off, but it’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish. We’re playing some good hockey right now and put four straight wins together.”
Coach Dan Morris noticed the difference, too.
“Lately, we’ve been playing a better brand of hockey that the guys are more comfortable with,” Morris said. “I wouldn’t say we’re peaking, but I’d rather be playing our best hockey now. We’re still looking for our identity, but this weekend drew us one step closer.”
Less than 30 seconds into Friday’s game, Ohio scored first and, inevitably, that would be all they would need. Brett Molnar started the Ohio assault by finding the back of the net for the eighth time this season, assisted by J.J. Plutt and Billy Hemann. Gerry Raymond and Ryan Tessmer both tacked on another score to give Ohio a 3-0 lead heading into the second period.
A scoreless second period left the Bobcats with a comfortable three-goal lead heading down the stretch and at the midway point of the period Hemann lifted Ohio to a 4-0 advantage. Hemann finished the series with five points including one goal and two assists on the night. The final score was tacked on by Plutt with less than two minutes to play in regulation.
On Saturday, the Bobcats capitalized on the early Kent State (21-13, 10-10 CSCHL) mistakes by scoring two power-play goals. Brandon Steffek struck first with 14:16 left to play in the first period off a two-man Bobcat advantage. At the 3:25 mark, Kent State did something they hadn’t done since the previous week -- score. Chris Hourigan scored to cut Ohio’s lead in half but less than two minutes later Hemann once again came up big to swing momentum back into the hands of Ohio and give them a 3-1 lead at the end of the first stanza.
For the second consecutive night, both teams were unable to put up any points, leaving Ohio clinging to a delicate two-goal lead. With 7:18 to play in the game some weight was lifted off the Bobcats' backs with Grady Clingan’s fifth goal of the season. However, the Golden Flashes would not go quietly into the night and answered the Ohio score with one of their own. For the second time of the evening it was Hourigan to score with a little over four minutes left.
With a slim lead and a decent amount of time on the clock, Ohio finished the series the same way it began. Plutt and Hemann both lit up the scoreboard with another goal each to bury the Golden Flashes and solidify the win.
With the sweep, Ohio locked up the third seed in the Central States Collegiate Hockey League Tournament this upcoming weekend at the University of Illinois.
“We played pretty well, but there’s still a lot of hockey,” defender Mike Peota said. “We’ve put a string of good wins together. A winning streak is always big and that’s what the tournament is all about.”
Next weekend, the Bobcats head west to the Big Pond, home of the Fighting Illini, for the CSCHL Tournament. As the No. 3 seed, Ohio will take on the No. 6 seed Eastern Michigan at 1 p.m. on Feb. 15. Ohio went to Eastern Michigan in early November where they split the two-game series.
Team Notes
Ohio goalie Paul Marshall picked up his fifth shutout on the season with 17 saves.
Ohio has outscored their opponents 23-3 in their last four games.
Following the CSCHL tournament, Ohio returns home for a two-game series against No. 21 Central Oklahoma Feb. 22 and 23.
Ohio out-shot the Golden Flashes 81 to 45 over the weekend.
The Bobcats and Golden Flashes split a series earlier in the year at Kent on Oct. 5 and 6.
Ohio is the fourth team to sweep Kent State this season.
Jim Fuhs leads the team in scoring with 45 points (16 goals, 29 assists).
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